Rolley Hole, the "Super Bowl of marbles"

Every year at Standing Stone State Park in Tennessee, the Rolley Hole Marbles National Championship is held, pitting marbles enthusiasts against one another in a game steeped in tradition and built on arcane, even confusing rules. Correspondent Luke Burbank reports.
#rolleyhole #marbles #standingstone
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[@Marathon1260]

As a kid growing up in the Philippines I was a marble nut. Marbles was just one of those childhood games that were seasonal. I think the game was introduced by Americans when the Philippines was an American colony prior to the end of WWII.

[@ramiyazje]

Wow! We played Marbles when we were kids in Syria. We used to get the marbles from empty spray cans. Winning marbles was so cool as they were often very beautiful with lots of shapes and patterns inside the transparent ball..

[@SuperYrch]

This brought back memories of my childhood when I would go to school with a pocket full of marbles, sometimes I would come home with no marbles and sometimes with two pockets full of marbles. Loved those years.

[@imee8843]

We played marbles in my country Philippines.. the boys usually played . The girls not to much . I do remember having marble collection. I admire the design and colors. This bring back memories. I’m 54 years old now and I can still remember vividly watching my friends play the game . Thank you for this .

[@RobinaB530]

You must have used glass marbles. These guys use flint.

[@devonwilliams560]

This game has been played in Jamaica 🇯🇲 and the rest of the Caribbean for decades. We just simply call it, "playing marbles." The objective is to hit the marbles place in a circle without missing one, if you do you loose your turn and the other person gets their turn. This almost like playing pool.

[@nylirama]

I remember growing up in Puerto Rico in the late 70s and 80s playing marbles too. What we all have in common is the enslaved people that were brought to the Americas. I guess the foundation to this game is somewhere in Africa.

[@VINODkumar-de6gs]

Hey

[@SlayerofFiction]

Montana here, we used to play it and try to knock out the opponents marbles.

[@--sql]

This variant of marbles has completely different rules, from what I can gather. I believe it involves hitting marbles into a series of holes. There's not much info about it on the internet.

[@joshpzueck6320]

I’m pretty sure everywhere in the world has been playing this game for 100s of years. They said it’s from ancient Egypt

[@KyleTokes]

I absolutely LOVE these good ole Americana stories!

[@pamelamays4186]

I had a friend named Diana when I was in elementary school. While the other girls in our class were working on their jump rope skills. Diana was collecting marbles that she won from the boys in our class.

[@lasandralucas7314]

I was going to Standing Stone State several years ago to visit for my job in Tourism for the state of Tennessee, and I was very impressed. Thank you for sharing this story.

[@LanakilaMiller]

Just because you didn’t understand the instructions of how to play the game after spending a week with them, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have reported on it, because there are likely many people watching the story that would comprehend how to play it. Just because you don’t get some thing doesn’t mean other people watching would have the same problem.

[@davemuse419]

I loved playing marbles as a kid growing up in North Carolina in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Kids nowadays think marbles are just for decoration. I've dug up clay marbles at Civil war campsites where the troops played with them to pass the time between marches.

[@toastnjam7384]

Back in the 50's marbles was big at the LA school I went to. It's been so long so I'm vague about how it was played but a small hole was dug in the dirt and I think the object was to knock your opponent marble into the hole. You either played for fun or for keeps. The cardinal rule was no fudges when shooting. When we moved about 20 miles across LA, I showed up with a pocketful of marbles on the first day of school but nobody there played marbles which was a bit of a cultural shock to me.

[@captainwasabi]

This is the game we played in the 70s. Small SHALLOW hole in the center of a 3 ft diameter ring drawn in the dirt. Knock marbles in the hole with your shooter and you keep them and get to keep going. Optional Rule: If your shooter stays in the ring and you DON'T get a marble in the hole, then it stays and your opponent can knock it in the hole and keep it. (mostly we played "No Shooters" style where you always picked up your shooter at the end of your turn). I have been looking to find these rules somewhere, no dice.

[@sallycasas4170]

My brother and I used to play marbles first by scraping a circle in the dirt. We collected glass marbles of different sizes and shapes during the game. Each player starts out with the same amount of marbles to play. Each player picked and used a "shooter", like a cue ball is used in the game of pool. The object of the game was to aim your hand with your shooter resting on your diget finger then flicking the shooter forward with your thumb. When the opponents marble is pushed out of the circle by your shooter, you claim that marble. The person with the most marbles collected 🏆 wins the game. When you see a person show up to a game of marbles with full jar of marbles, beware😁My brother and I were taught this game by my Dad who was born in Texas. I have a feeling this game's origins are Native American 😎😷🙋‍♀️

[@eastonpartain4350]

Please come back and play marbles with the kids that play! The kids a great teachers! They even play in national championship games! 😊

[@butchcassidy3373]

My grandfather and uncle have both competed in this tournament. They are both gone now but every time I see a marble, I think of them.

[@margo3367]

Learn something new every day.

[@PackNshipp]

This is 1000000000000x more entertaining than the Grammys

[@jamesragsdale3069]

I love playing marbles! Amazing to see organized play.

[@rubychew6535]

My brother competed in Milwaukee, Wi back in the 60's and took second place. I wish marbles would come back.

[@SAMZIRRA]

What a surprisingly interesting story. Well done

[@crush3095]

remember how fkng valuable marbles were when you were a kid? easy to lose hard to acquire physically, visually fascinating

[@jamesragsdale3069]

Remember losing a pretty one? Life lessons.

[@sixfigureskibum]

Those old mibs are worth real.l money today. The vintage and antique American glass can be 5 bucks to 600. The most valuable I've held are the German handmade upwards 2k

[@jamesragsdale3069]

@@sixfigureskibum Cool. My brother still has our marbles. He had fun finding cool ones as a kid. I'll let him know as well. I need other grown kids to play marbles with, lol.

[@AZNPride420]

randomly clicked on this, but i'm so happy for this old dude lol.

[@stevethelegacy]

Marbles and Knucklebones inspired me to create my game called Cubix and I'm excited to have our 1st NATIONAL Tournament In July At Banes and Noble

[@Van-tastic]

Well thanks for doing some actual American journalism. This was nice😊

[@nasticanasta]

thanks for tackling these important issues.

[@CB-xr1eg]

Childish sarcasm duly noted.👍

[@mililaniman]

Rolley Hole looks like a fun game to play. It seems like a game that requires a lot of focus.

[@michaelcharlesthearchangel]

Awesome! Marbles should be an Olympic Sport just like cousin said.

[@margaretpeabody243]

When I was handed down the coffee tin of marbles I thought some of them were so beautiful 😍❤️💗, then I got into beads.

[@mylesmills3614]

Really cool piece

[@shawnholiday1635]

Marbles were big in Naples, FL in the early '70s.

[@gh0st_0f_b0b_chandler]

The object of the game is for both players on a team to travel up and down the three hole course three times by "making" the holes. They must prevent their opponents from making the holes by shooting their marbles away. When both teammates have made the 12 holes in the course, they win the game.

[@Creole_Lady]

I played marbles in elementary school. It was a big deal way back then.

[@jthepickle7]

When I was a kid, 'playing' marbles was serious business.

[@atlantic_love]

I'd be interested in getting into marbles, but where in Kentucky? I've never really played it. When I was a kid I was fascinated by the colors and shapes (within) of the marbles.

[@stratocaster1greg]

I learned how to make marbles using Buds method. Making marbles with Matthew is where I learned. Great video!

[@seanwilson9117]

I live in Southeastern Kentucky about 15 miles from the Tennessee border. I've never heard of this. lol

[@BlastinRope]

When I was a kid marbles meant liberating the coolest looking ones from your friends and trying your hardest not to swallow them.

[@attemptedunkindness3632]

Even as an adult, the temptation is still there. Those delicious cats eye marbles calling out in dreams.

[@poja82]

Man, if they have a huge stone gliding through Ice in the winter games, I dont see why Rolley holes could not be in the summer ones.

[@meltarin5203]

That whole town has lost their marbles

[@aldreymenezes7652]

Marbles in Brazil, but it's a different game, it involves a triangle in the dirt

[@Goko247]

Pretty priceless that its 'too complicated' to understand the rules. Like it takes some kind of genius to learn a goofy game of horse shoes.

[@posthocprior]

What year was this shot?

[@lewstone5430]

1863

[@ehrgeiz5649]

Rolley Hole is literally one of the most basic games... Each player has one marble and must work through a course of twelve holes, made by going up and down a line of three holes that are dug into the yard with the aid of pocket knife and a quarter-dollar coin. A team wins when both partners have completed that course. The problem is players don't say much during play and it can be hard to track the game....

[@The.Original.Potatocakes]

I want to learn how to play!

[@scholasticacooney6830]

American version of bocce or petanque?

[@Spaxcore]

I bet that barn smells like two stroke engine and Wintergreen Copenhagen

[@user-zw6ov2mo5v]

How would I go about starting to make marbles that way?

[@0066keith]

Memories of cat's eyes and steelies....

[@Somewondude]

they play marbles in Mexico. my parents did.

[@dead01]

The last time I played with marbles was when I was in 2nd grade

[@lewstone5430]

Well these guys just got out of the 2nd grade so it all works out!

[@KaiTakApproach]

It sounds like one American community that has managed not to lose its marbles.

[@bloatedsodium7301]

The first rule of Rolley Hole: you do not talk about Rolley Hole. The second rule of Rolley Hole is: you DO NOT talk about Rolley Hole!

[@sixthousandblankets]

Yani hata Banoo pia ni kitu ya kuReport about?

[@chadachwilliam5515]

So you can “play” marbles? I thought they were for my slingshot, they make great ammo.

[@rafaelgonzalez8249]

It's called poison in SoCal. You get the marble in the hole, and you eliminate the others by hitting them. This Rolley hole competition has to have rules. Poor job from Sunday Morning.

[@gusgus8134]

Lose the marbles, ( they've already lost them ) and try some sit ups!🤣

[@yardsausage]

i think i just found my people..not really the players..but the close knit community..

[@MeepMeep88]

SPOILER: They don't show you how to play it because... no one actually knows how

[@N30NR10T]

Those are the uniforms and sculpted bodies of world champion athletes

[@Two_Deep]

Olympic worthy game?

[@generalfeed123]

Bring back Jim Gaffigan

[@treborretsnom6186]

Dilly

[@TheEric826]

….really weird that backstory kinda seems like it was a freedman’s game buuuut didn’t see many black people at this game. sure it’s nothing but still, kinda weird

[@CaliMeatWagon]

I, too, was judging the people in the video based on their level of pigmentation...

[@Asymmetric7]

Did that Sheriff guy just acknowledge that the African American man who made marbles for the game and seemed like he was the one who brought the idea upon the community to get the whole thing going into a game. Just say that he thought that idea originated from across the pond? Like he's totally ignoring the fact that its probably a game that was passed on carried down from the previous slaves that then founded the land at the time

[@jarrodyuki7081]

japan will retake the kurils sakhalin and vladivotok south korea will take north korea.

[@thomasdeas1941]

There is a certain look about these people that says to me, I think they have lost all their marbles.

[@TheresaPowers]

Sorry, but those are NOT marbles at all.

[@robertpalmer3166]

Oh yes they are Karen.

[@captainnima]

Just as meaningless as baseball but ordinary people can play it and win championships so it must be better.

[@j_arth23]

Baseball is meaningless? You must not know anything about the sport.

[@sixfigureskibum]

I own a small fortune in antique marbles

[@realdukeofthemidwest]

i like how everybody there knows how to play the geeeetarrr

[@TheJessiepacheco1992]

I would love to compete in that tournament how do you get involved anyone know please send me a message

[@willymaykit1482]

I'm glad I don't live in this town.

[@3eezie483]

rednecks.....

[@CaliMeatWagon]

And?

[@Muphetballs]

It's literally Tennessee, that's where they're at. Wonderful people